REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (Sept. 3, 2009) -- About 1,450 contractor positions at the Aviation and Missile Command will be converted to Army civilian during the next three years.

Col. Scott Campbell, deputy executive director of the AMCOM Contracting Center, discussed the plan Thursday at the 2009 Advance Planning Briefings for Industry. About 500 people attended the conference and exhibition Aug. 26-27 in the Von Braun Center.

The conversion is required as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2008.

"This was not something we had a choice to do. It was in the law," Campbell said.

The identified contractor positions provide support services throughout the Aviation and Missile Command materiel enterprise, or life cycle management command, including the program executive offices for aviation and for missiles and space, the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center, and the Contracting Center.

Campbell emphasized during his briefing that there has been a significant planning process to ensure an orderly conversion to Army civilian jobs. And the change will occur within a three-year period.

"Nobody is getting a termination letter tomorrow," Campbell told the mostly-contractor audience. "We all have people in AMCOM that are working with each of your primes. Understand this process is going on but I still have small business goals to reach."

He outlined new acquisition procedures that are forthcoming and encouraged the industry representatives to register for potential business with AMCOM if they haven't yet done so.

AMCOM deputy commander Ronnie Chronister said the command has taken a common sense approach to the conversion requirement.

"We've taken every measure to communicate with the community and with industry to make sure they understand what our analysis was and what the impact will be to them," Chronister said. "We want to have a dialogue. We're very sensitive to the plight of local businesses with all the contributions they make out here."